Three men have been arrested while police hunt for two accomplices, after a 23-year-old man was allegedly scammed out of HKD1 million in Macau this month.
According to Apple Daily, the victim, surnamed Wong, is a second-year student at university in the UK, who had made a short trip to Macau earlier this month while in Hong Kong for the Christmas holidays.
Wong was reportedly due to leave Macau after gambling away HKD50,000, but was talked into joining a VIP club by several men while on his way to the pier.
Wong was allegedly told that the membership would allow him to continue gambling in the casinos and stay in a hotel for free, as well as a chauffeur-driven limo and helicopter tour of Macau.
Wong, who has apparently never heard of the phrase “too good to be true”, accepted the offer and signed a loan contract. He was given HKD1 million worth of gambling chips, tens of thousands of which were gambled away.
After his losses, it is reported that Wong tried to leave, but was told he had to sign a new loan contract in Hong Kong to repay his debt in 80 interest-free instalments.
Upon arriving in Hong Kong, Wong was accosted by three men who demanded he cough up HKD1 million before taking him to his home in North Point.
Police told Wong and his father to disregard the demands, saying that it was a common scam.
However, the swindlers continued to harass the family by making threatening phone calls and posting photos of their faces around their home.
On Wednesday night, Wong’s sister called the police after seeing suspicious individuals around their residence via CCTV. Police arrested three men, who had posters demanding Wong repay his debt in their possession.
At approximately 5am on Thursday, two accomplices threw red paint (a common triad “warning” for outstanding debt) on the exterior of Wong’s residence before fleeing.
Wong has expressed his regret for accepting the VIP membership offer, and has stayed in Hong Kong to sort things out before continuing his studies.
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